


Snapshots

by eerian_sadow



Series: hurt-comfort bingo [8]
Category: Transformers (Bay Movies), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Hurt comfort bingo 2015, Mentions of Injuries, Mentions of Violence, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-03
Updated: 2016-01-03
Packaged: 2018-05-11 13:41:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5628616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eerian_sadow/pseuds/eerian_sadow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fig may have survived the desert and come home to his Mama, but that doesn't mean the desert is done with him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Snapshots

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Place Dreams Go To Die](https://archiveofourown.org/works/266241) by [eerian_sadow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/eerian_sadow/pseuds/eerian_sadow). 



> Written for the 2015 round of hurt comfort bingo, filling my PTSD square.

Monday morning started like every other morning since almost dying in the desert: he woke up short of breath, sweat pouring off his body and his brain replaying the worst day of his life. The docs kept telling him that the nightmares wouldn’t be as bad once the memory faded, and he was still waiting for both of those things to happen.

He knew enough other vets to know it might never happen. Shellshock the older guys called it, PTSD according to Lennox and the doctors. The name didn’t matter; his brain had become his own worst enemy.

He wiped the sweat off his forehead and sat up. Better to get up and into the shower than try and sleep again, even if it was four in the morning.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

He sat next to the Marine during group therapy. She was smart and sassy, and reminded him a little of his baby sister when she started talking about something she was really interested in. Neither of them were very interested in therapy, but they had coffee afterward sometimes and being surrounded by other soldiers--people who understood and didn’t think they were _crazy_ \--helped. 

“Hey, Fig,” Kelley greeted him with a nod.

“Hey, Kelley.” He scooted around on the chair until he found a position that didn’t make his back hurt more than usual. “How’s the dog?”

“Cadence is great. Waking up to her licking my face is a hell of a lot better than waking up thinking the convoy is taking fire again.” The Marine smiled, just a little. “I still think you should get one. Or at least a cat. It helps, not being alone all the time.”

“Can barely afford to feed myself,” he replied. “Not gonna make things harder on myself than I have to.”

“I hear. How’d the job interview go?”

“They want someone younger and with less disabilities.”

“Fuck them, anyway.”

Yeah, he liked Kelley. She got it, even if she wouldn't stop badgering him about getting a service dog.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

He didn’t expect to see Lennox sitting on his doorstep with a case of cheap beer when he came back from therapy and coffee. It took him a few seconds to recognize the other man; he didn’t think he’d ever seen Lennox in jeans and a t-shirt before.

“Fig!” Lennox smiled and jumped up when he spotted him. 

He froze, leaning on his cane with his good arm when his former CO hugged him with one arm. It felt too much like being lifted up onto the medical board to be carried to the chopper.

“Fuck, man. Sorry.” Lennox let go of him as soon as his muscles tensed up. “It’s just damn good to see you.”

“Good to see you too, Captain.” He stepped away from the other man, walking toward the porch and the case of beer. “You wanna come inside?”

“That’d be great.” The light skinned man walked up behind him and picked up the beer, then waited patiently for him to unlock his door. “And it’s major now. They promoted me, last month.”

“Felicitaciones.” He fought with the key until it turned and then pushed the door to his mama’s house open. “Hope you didn’t fly all the way to Louisiana just for a party.”

“No, better.” When he looked back, Lennox was smiling at him again. “I’m head of a special team now. Military, civilians, top secret stuff. They’re giving me my pick of staff.”

“You’re offering me a job?”

“Hell yes I’m offering you a job.”

He wanted to say no, just based on how quickly he’d been discharged and left to the VA’s non-existent mercy. But he hadn’t been lying to Kelley about barely scraping by. Something had to give.

“Si, okay. I’ll listen.” He pushed the door open. “No mud on Mama’s carpet and use a coaster.”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Monday night did not end like every other night.

He had thought his Mama would cry when she came home from work he told her about the job--tears of happiness, that his friends were still looking out for him after all--and he wasn’t ashamed to admit that there had been a few of his own when he saw her face. Mama loved him, but she hadn’t signed on to take care of him after he came home missing nerves, muscles and the ability to work even a part time job. Even without his “issues,” he was a burden on her.

But Lennox was offering him a job he couldn’t turn down as security lead for his new unit, working with more robots, like the one from the desert. He wasn’t qualified really, but Lennox trusted him to do it and he wasn’t going to let his old CO down. Not when Lennox had taken such a risk to make sure he got out of the desert alive.

Next door, Frankie’s car backfired and he flinched--but he didn’t duck and cover, which was probably some kind of progress. Someday, it might even just sound like a car and not a weapon.

He’d worry about that at his new base, though. With his new therapist and his new doctor--docs who weren’t part of the VA and would probably have enough time to really work with him the way he needed.

He dropped down into bed with a sigh. Monday morning had been awful, but Monday night had been all right, and maybe just this once he could sleep without the nightmares.


End file.
